Raiders reportedly tender five players

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 4, 2014

The Raiders tendered five players on Tuesday, according to USA Today NFL writer Tom Pelissero.

#Raiders tendered OL Matt McCants ($495K), LB Kaelin Burnett, RB Jamize Olawale, CB Brandian Ross and RB Jeremy Stewart ($570K each).
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 4, 2014

McCants was signed last offseason to be a reserve tackle but ended up seeing starting time due to the amount of injuries the Raiders suffered on the offensive line. McCants, who is just 25 years old, proved to be quite valuable as he was more than serviceable at the right tackle position.

Burnett brings a solid special teams player to the team while Olawale brings a serviceable fullback to the line should Marcel Reece go down to injury.

Ross found himself starting at strong safety last season after starting safety Tyvon Branch was injured early and backup Usama Young also became injured. McKenzie has liked Ross, the former Packer, though it seems his play may be better fit at the free safety position.

Stewart, a former Stanford Cardinal, has been on the team for two seasons now and has seen time with injuries to Darren McFadden. Re-signing Stewart adds depth at the running back position which the team currently lacks because of Rashad Jennings and McFadden's free agency status.